Irvine, CA - On Monday, April 21, Shelby Distribution USA presented
automotive legend Carroll Shelby with a custom Superformance Shelby
Cobra Daytona Coupe. This unique gift was made possible by Amy
Boylan and the team at Shelby Automobiles in Las Vegas and Lance
Stander and the employees at Shelby Distribution USA in Irvine, CA.
“It was fantastic to have the opportunity to honor Carroll Shelby
with this special car,” said Stander. “We hope he enjoys driving it
as much as we enjoyed giving it to him.”

Painted in the same “Guardsman Blue” of the original cars, Carroll’s
Daytona Coupe also features the number 98 that represents chassis
#2300 that Shelby himself owned up until 1999. Power comes from a
Roush 427SR V8 with 480 horsepower and 515 lb-ft torque. Unique to
Carroll’s Daytona Coupe is a shifting system that utilizes paddles
and buttons on the steering wheel. Developed by MasterShift (www.mastershift.com)
of San Diego, the Art Carr 2004R 4-speed automatic transmission can
be up shifted via paddles and downshifted using two buttons on
either side of the steering wheel. The system also has safety
features including a one second delay from Drive to Neutral as well
as a speed sensor to prevent the car from being shifted into reverse
or park unless it is completely stopped. Installation of the engine,
transmission and paddle shift system was handled by Exotic Auto
Restoration of Costa Mesa.

History of the Daytona Coupe

The original six Daytona
Cobra Coupe factory racers enjoyed a short but impressive racing
career: Originally built for the 1964-65 for the 1964-65 racing
season using 289 Shelby Cobra roadster chassis, these were America's
answer to Ferrari's highly successful 250 GTO. In their first year
of competition, the Daytona Coupes won the GT class at Sebring and
then placed 4th overall at Le Mans. They proved to be so competitive
that Ferrari officials, fearing a loss of the championship, managed
to get the Monza, Italy final round cancelled, knowing the Daytona’s
would win the race and the Championship. Consequently, Ferrari
claimed the 1964 FIA World Manufacturer's Championship. The
following year Enzo Ferrari, realizing he would lose to the
Daytona’s, pulled his factory support from the GT program, paving
the way for the Daytona Coupe walkover. In 1965, the ex-Shelby
Daytona Coupes of the UK's Alan Mann racing team won the FIA's World
Manufacturer's GT title with ease.

Recreating the Legend

Almost 40 years later,
Superformance has re-created this nostalgic player in American
racing history. The Coupe is a Carroll Shelby licensed product and
was designed by some of the original team, including Peter Brock and
Bob Negstad. The Coupe boasts amazingly sleek lines and a contoured
body which is slightly larger than that of the original race car.
The original suspension was further engineered and improved and the
interior space was optimized for more room. Addding value to this
impressive Daytona is the fact that it is also eligible for the
Shelby American Automobile Club owners registry, capturing each
chassis number as a part of American history.

Based in Irvine, CA,
Shelby Distribution is the official distributor for Shelby
continuation cars. Their product lineup includes the CSX4000 Cobra,
CSX9000, and the 85th Commemorative GT40®. For more information on
Shelby continuation cars or to find a dealership near you, visit
www.shelbydistribution.com or call 888-SHELBY-USA.